Monday, 6 February 2017

Studio Brief 1- Wayfinding - The Leeds Coat of Arms: A World of Meaning

The Leeds Coat of Arms: A World of Meaning


The coat of arms shows the towns heritage, creates a sense of pride in the city and a sense of belonging for residents. It was originally designed in 1835 however it was not registered until 1920.






It is made up of three key parts which came from different sources.

-        The owls came from the first Alderman’s coat of arms, John Saville
-        The fleece references the trade in the city
-        The three stars came from the coat of arms of Thomas Danby who was the first Mayor of Leeds
The owls symbolise wisdom and changed colour from silver to a more natural colour in the 1920s, royalty is also reflected in these through the crowns they wear.
The stars are ‘mullets’ which refers to their straight sided five points, and represent spurs.
Sable / Black stands for sadness, knowledge, sincerity and work
Azure / Blue stands for sincerity, piety and the colour of the Eastern sky.

A blazon is a term used in heraldry to provide an explanation of the design and to enable people to accurately recreate it from the description.

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